O.J. Simpson's trial postponed until September

Reuters Staff

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<p>O.J. Simpson, former American football great, appears in court for violating terms of his bail in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas January 16, 2008. A Las Vegas judge on Friday postponed until September Simpson's trial on charges of robbery and kidnapping, a court spokesman said. REUTERS/Rick Wilking</p>

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Las Vegas judge on Friday postponed until September former football star O.J. Simpson’s trial on charges of robbery and kidnapping, a court spokesman said.

Simpson and two co-defendants had been scheduled to stand trial in April on a dozen charges stemming from what prosecutors say was the armed robbery of his own memorabilia from two collectors at a Las Vegas hotel and casino.

District Court Judge Jackie Glass granted a five-month delay in the trial, until September 8, at the request of defence attorneys who told her they needed more time to prepare their case, court spokesman Michael Sommermeyer said.

Glass also rejected a defence request to dismiss some of the charges.

Las Vegas prosecutors say Simpson, 60, led five accomplices in stealing the memorabilia at gunpoint from Bruce Fromong and Alfred Beardsley.

Walter Alexander, Charles Cashmore and Michael McClinton were also charged in the case initially, but later agreed to plead guilty and testify for the prosecution.

Defence lawyers argued Simpson went to the hotel only to recover his stolen belongings and did not have a gun.

Simpson, who parlayed his fame as an athlete into a career in Hollywood, was acquitted of the June 12, 1994, murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman after the sensational trial that transfixed much of the world.

A civil court jury later found Simpson liable for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million (16.6 million pounds) in damages to the victims’ families, a judgment that remains largely unpaid.